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43.
Manner Hill to
Stratheden Stud
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27/7/2003 |
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Northwestern NSW is to have its own quality piece
of the sire which has become the hero of thoroughbred breeding world-wide, the
awesome Danehill. This follows the retirement of his Group winning son Manner
Hill to the Tamworth located Stratheden Stud, one owned by Lochinvar grazier and
former Maitland show president Brian Marheine.
Through his career, Manner Hill won six races including the N.E. Manion Quality
Cup at Rosehill and the Craven Plate at Randwick for a racing syndicate
including the Marheines. At the same time he demonstrated that he had the speed
to win at 1100 metres and the stamina to break 2:30 in winning over 2400 metres.
He was unlucky not to have won his first four race starts, all at sprint
distances. Following a long head second over 1100 metres on debut, he won two
successive races including one at Flemington and then was a nose second in a
Listed stakes won by Freemason at Caulfield.
Overall, however, a tough, front running middle distance performer, Manner Hill
had a big year in 2002 with the efforts including four Sydney wins including the
Manion Cup at Rosehill by 2 3/4 lengths and the Craven Plate at Randwick by two
lengths. He was beaten less than half a length when third in the Canterbury Cup
and turned in two good Group1 efforts, a fourth in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at
Randwick and a fifth in the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill.
Manner Hill is from one of the best mares put to Danehill in Australia,
Mannerism. She was a queen of the turf in the early 1990s, winning 13 races
including the Caulfield Cup, Futurity Stakes and SAJC Australasian Oaks and over
$1.8million. All her six foals to race have been metropolian winners and include
Manner Hill’s very talented sister Dandify, one which was the top seller at
$725,000 at this year’s Sydney broodmare sales.
Mannerism’s dam was a half-sister to another leading Australian galloper in
Always Welcome. Subsequently a sire of winners up to Group 1 level, he won the
VRC Craven ‘A’ Stakes, VATC Futurity and AJC All-Aged Stakes and was runner
up in the VRC Newmarket Handicap - twice and AJC Doncaster and Epsom Handicaps.
Stratheden Stud, the home for Manner Hill - initial fee $5500 including GST -
was the base for Switch In Time, a record source of winners. In addition in
recent years among the horses bred by the Marheines have been leading Australian
performers Assertive Lad and Snowland and a yearling which sold for an
Australian record price for a filly of $1.5million at 2002 Sydney sales |
